Flush-valve-operating mechanism



Oct. 25,1927.

' H. DE WALLACE FLUSH VALVE OPERATING MECHANISM Filed July 9. 192's Q10Me M /Aa Patented Oct. 25, 1927.

PATENT orrica.

HARRY DE 'WALLACE, F SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

FLUSE-VALVE-OPERATING MECHAFISM.

' Application filed July 8,

r This invention relates to fiush valve operatingmechanisin, designedparticularly for use in connection with china flush tanks, and "has foritsobject to provide a novel form of sleeve for mounting in the usualopening in the wall of the tank, 1 whereby the entire mechanism may,bereadily, quickly, and rig-idly clamped to the wall, by means of asingle threaded member; A further ob ect is to provide anovelarrangement of the china operating parts whereby the handle andescutcheon comprise a single part and 1 whereby the operating shaft bepermanently secured to the china member and may lee-insertedinwardlythrough the sleeve, and detachably connected to a crank member thatactuates thevalve lift, by simple clinching means. And a'further objectis to generally improve and simplify the mechanism, to the end thatfewer parts, and less time, labor and expensive operations are required,for manufacturing, assembling and applying 7 the said mechanism, thanheretofore.

I attain these objects by the means set forth in the detaileddescription which follows, and as illustrated by the accompanyingdrawing, in which- Figure 1 is a top end View of a flush tank with thecover removed. Fig. 2 is a broken side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 isa broken end elevation of the tank. Fig. 4 is a hori- .zonal section,taken on'line 44 of F ig. 2. .Fig. 5 is a view of the handle shaft. AndFig. 6 is respectively an end and a side view of the crank membercarried by the handle shaft.

In the drawing, 2 represents a china flush tank, which may be suppliedwith the flushing Water by a pipe 8, the water being delivered by saidpipe to a ball-cock 4, and the latter being controlled by the usualfloat 5. The discharge of the water for flushing purposes is effected byan ordinary valve 6, which controls the usual bottom outlet (not shown).The valve 6 islifted away from its seat by a rod 6, whose upper endconnects with one end of a rockable lever 7 as shown in Figsl, 3 and 4.The opposite end of the lever 7 is formed witha crank-portion 7. The Vlever 7 is operatively supported by similar'spaced perforated lugs 8,which may be integral parts of a bracket 8, the latter being mountedhorizontally on the inner front wall of the tank 2. The bracket 8 isformed with a flange-hub 8 which loosely engages a molded opening 2 ofthe tank,

1926. Serial 1%. 12;,4'72.

largement 9' which substantially fills the I opening 2 adjacent the saidflange, like the hub 8. I Beyond the enlargement 9 the barrel of thesleeve is preferably externally threaded, as at 9*. This threadedportion passes through the hubS of the bracket and its projecting innerend is fitted with a nut 10, which engages the bracket, and togetherwith the sleeve provides the sole means for clamping the valve operatingmechanism to the tank. The sleeve 9 has a smooth bore,

in which is loosely journaled a shaft or rod 12, by which the lever 7 isrocked'for opening the fiush valve 6. The shaft 12 projects beyond theopposite ends of the sleeve 9, its inner end preferably being square andsplit, as at 12, and upon this split portion is mounted a crank member13, as best shown in Figs. 4 and 5. One arm of the crank 13 is formedwith a loop or eye 13, the opening of the latter being preferably squareto conform to the shaft. The other arm of the member 13 extendsrearwardly beneath the crank portions 7 of the lift rod. The outer end12 of shaft 12 is also shown square, and this portion is preferablypermanently embedded in a molded socket 14 of a china member 14, thelatter combining in one part an escutcheon 14, an ornamental sphericalportion 14", and a pending handle 14", by which the shaft 12 and crank13 are rocked for opening the valve 6. The square portion 12 may besecured in the socket 14 by any suitable cement, as litharge, or thelike. The escutcheon 14 is preferably formed with a central cavity orrecess 14 which receives and conceals the flange 9 of the sleeve. Theflange 9 and the recess 14 are preferably so constructed that when thedevice is assembled, as shown in Fig. 4, the part 14" is held clear ofand may rotate freely Without touching or chafing the tank 2.

To apply my device to atank, the barrel of the sleeve 9 is preferablyfirst inserted inwardly through the opening 2 of the I so ' I mountingand holding the mechanism in .place, and bylnoldingthe escutcheon, knob,

- *1 and handle in one part (1-1) andernbedding l v p I 1,647,088

tank, the bracket 8 is next placed in position against the inner side ofthe tank with the 1 hub Siloosely telescoping the said opening and thethreaded portion 9 of the sleeve.

The nut 10 is then screwed on to the sleeve and tightened up for rigidlyclamping the flange 9 and the bracket 8, to the wall of the tank. Theshaft 12 which ispreferahly' first permanently secured to the'chinapart14;, is next inserted inwardly through the sleeve until its. split innerend projects beyond the corresponding end of the sleeve.

* The'crank member 18 isthen applied and Y the split portionof the shaftis spread and clinched against the outer face of the loop 13", forholding the shaft and related parts in plac'e,-.as shown in Figs. 3 and4. The

squaro portion 12 is preferably slightly reduced' in order to* provideawshoulder I against which the inner face ofthe loop 13 seats, as shownin igs. 4 and 5.. The shaft 12 andthe member 14 maybe readily and I.quickly removed by simply unclinching the split end'ofthe shaft.

, My flush valve operating mechanism is extremely simple, has but fewparts, and

. require's fbut little machine work in order to prepare the parts foruse. By construct:

' ing the parts as herein shown and described,

but one threaded connection is required for ing in said wall of thetank, a sleeve having aded end extending through the bracket .and itshub, an integral flange on .the opposite end of the sleeve engageablewith the opposite'side face of said tank wall and having a hub ofreduced diameter extending partly within the opposite end of V theopening, the innerends of the hubsbeing spaced so asto leave free spacebetween the part of the: sleeve between thehub and the wall defining thesaid transverse opening in the tank, a shaft. extending through asleeve, a handle on the opposite end ofthe '7 shaft having an'escntcheon extending over the flange and in encircling relation to thel I periphery thereof, a nut on the threaded end of the sleeveengageable with the bracket, and a crank-on the other'end of'the shaft.I 2. In a flush valve operating mechanism,

a sleeve formed to extend through a perforation in a tank wall andhaving an inte as gral flange on one of its ends formed withaninward'ly, projecting hub, the flange bei engageable with one face ofthe tank- W26 and the hubbeing engageable in the wall;v perforation, alever supporting bracket 10' engage'able with the opposite face of thetank wall and perforated. to receive the,

oppositeend of the sleeve and having a hub engaging the vwall definingthe perforation said hubs having, their inner ends Spaced.

apart and conjointly acting to hold thercenu te'r of the; sleeve spacedfrom the wall defining the perforation, means on the said opposite endof the sleeve to hold the bracket against said opposite face of the tankwall, a shaft extending through the: f;

sleeve, a handle on one end of the shaft and a crank on the other endofthe shaft. v

In testimony whereof-I afiix mysignatur'e,

HARRY DE WALLACE.

